Boxing Ledger's Archives

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

On Saturday May 1st, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KO’s) faces "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO's) in a welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout will be televised LIVE on HBO PPV at 9pm EST/6pm PST.

Aside from losing a close 12 round unanimous decision to Miguel Cotto in 2007, Shane Mosley has not lost a fight since 2004. On the other hand, Mosley's record in his last ten bouts is (7-3, 4 KO's). Joe Walcott, Archie Moore, Bernard Hopkins and Lennox Lewis all had a great deal of success late in their careers. At 38 years old, can Mosley sustain his impact on the welterweight division? Or will he finally show his age against Mayweather?

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is undefeated, and regarded by some as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Mayweather’s pound-for-pound status can be heavily debated, however, he is without question one of the most naturally gifted fighters the sport has ever seen. While Mosley could be Mayweather's toughest test to date, Mayweather is definitely Mosley’s greatest challenge.

At 33 years old, Mayweather’s dedication to training supersedes every fighter in boxing. He has never taken an opponent lightly in his entire career. Mayweather is a defensive specialist, who stands right in front of opponents and makes them miss with their shots. Then, Mayweather counters with swift, accurate punches and rarely takes any blows in return. Will Mayweather, a defensive genius, use the same strategies of the past to triumph over Mosley? Or can Mosley force Mayweather out of his comfort zone by pressuring him to trade in heated exchanges?

Mosley possesses sound power and remarkable hand speed, but neither asset will be a factor if he cannot hit Mayweather. Boxing is not about power, hand speed or defense; Boxing is about landing precise punches and finding one’s range, so one will not be countered. Thus far, Mayweather has demonstrated the utmost understanding of the sweet science, using more cerebral expertise and proficiency than any fighter nowadays.

Shane Mosley has never been hesitant to mix it up with any fighter. When he gets hit, he fires right back at his opponents. Mosley throws high-speed, blistering punches, but tends to stand in front of his foes too long. He favors the use of his jab as a range finder to set up power shots. Throughout his professional career, Mosley has been tremendously effective when he attacks his challenger's body. It is well-known that Mosley can take powerful punches from larger boxers, in addition to outfighting younger pugilists in close range.

Unlike Mosley, Mayweather never stands in front of his opponents after delivering his punches. He likes to time the opposition with devastating lead right hands. At the moment, no fighter has been able to stop Mayweather from consistently landing lead right hands. Mayweather is the most technically sound fighter in the sport at this point in time. He dictates the pace by throwing combinations behind his left jab, and when he lands his punches, they are enormously effective.

Many boxing fans and media believe Mosley will be the fastest opponent Mayweather has ever faced in the professional ranks. Does anyone remember Zab Judah, who is younger than Mosley and throws better combinations? Also, Judah’s lightning quick punches came from a southpaw stance, which is more difficult for conventional fighters to defend. On that night, Mayweather made adjustments against Judah and broke him down in the later rounds.

Mosley must put combinations together better than he has shown in his previous bouts. He must utilize his jab to control the pace of the fight. Then, after releasing his punches, Mosley needs to place himself at angles where Floyd cannot answer. Mosley should keep his punches short and not square up. In the past, Mosley has not changed from offense to defense well, which is something that Mayweather is exceptional at doing.

Against Mosley, Mayweather should stick and move, so he will not be a stationary target. Alternatively, if Mosley wants to get the best use of his slight edge in power, he ought to force Mayweather to fight toe-to-toe. Mayweather’s power is vastly underrated because he primarily is a defensive fighter. Still, Mayweather is outstanding at landing his punches with pinpoint precision.

Mosley needs to connect with short shots in a nearby range. He will not have to worry about Mayweather’s perfect placement of punches, if he lands clean shots and moves laterally around the ring. Every so often, Mosley may elect to trade with Mayweather. Mosley must find his range, so he will not be countered.

Prediction: Although Mosley has defeated several younger fighters as he has grown older, he is now 38, and will have been idle for 15 months when he steps into the ring against Mayweather on Saturday night. Boxers cannot afford to suffer long layoffs to their careers, especially older ones. With long periods of inactivity, fighters lose timing, speed, agility, power and can witness an overall decrease in skills. Mosley has not shown his age yet, but eventually all fighters do. A fighter can get old in one fight, and I think Mayweather will shine again. Mosley has never been knocked out, but Mayweather has the offensive arsenal to accomplish the task. Conversely, everyone knows Mayweather is a defensive first fighter, while Mosley owns a durable chin. However, I am going to defy logic and pick Floyd Mayweather Jr. to win via technical knockout in round eleven.

Adamek, 33, opened the fight using superior lateral movement and scored with rights to Arreola's body. Then, both men exchanged a pair of left hooks. Adamek did a superb job of countering a very aggressive Arreola, who persistently attempted to impose his will on him.

In round two, Arreola connected with a solid left hook after Adamek landed a quality right to the body. Later in the round, Arreola landed another hard left hook and followed it with an overhand right. Again, Adamek caught him with a counter left hook and moved out of Arreola's range quickly.

Clearly, Arreola was the heavier puncher, although Adamek was landing the cleaner and more damaging blows. Toward the end of the third round, Arreola and Adamek traded rights and lefts to the body.

As Arreola continued to press the action in round four, Adamek was scoring with flush left hooks to Arreola's head. After connecting with two vicious rights, Adamek landed a left uppercut - left hook combination. Then, he struck Arreola with a right - left combination.

Adamek hit Arreola with a crisp left hook and powerful right early in round five. Then, Adamek used his jab and moved swiftly around the ring. Arreola momentarily staggered Adamek with a grazing right cross to the head. However, Adamek answered immediately with a right - left combination.

Arreola came on strong toward the end of round six, connecting with a strong right as Adamek lay on the ropes. Then, Arreola snapped Adamek's head back with a stinging left uppercut.

Arreola steadily pressured Adamek in the seventh round, but his face became extremely swollen. In the beginning of the round, Adamek landed a short left hook. Then, Adamek whacked Arreola with an overhand right as Arreola charged him. Again, Adamek fired and landed a right to Arreola's body. Arreola countered by connecting with a left hook to Adamek's head.

Adamek started to sustain some swelling above his right eye in the eighth round. Yet, Arreola's punch output dropped, which enabled Adamek to use more lateral movement without worrying as much about absorbing punishing blows. Evidently, Arreola was slowed by the potent body punches Adamek landed early in round eight.

Arreola had a great deal of trouble landing his punches in round nine, as Adamek recovered his rhythm. At this point, Arreola exhibited tremendous frustration. Later, Adamek battered him with a series of left hooks, right hands and brutal body shots.

Adamek appeared to find his range in the tenth round, and possessed a sufficient amount of energy to finish the bout soundly. Arreola, however, gained momentum after landing an overhand right and left uppercut. Adamek hurriedly fired a left hook - straight right combination. Next, Adamek connected with a straight right - left hook combination. After that, Arreola rushed Adamek and threw wild right hands. Adamek swiftly countered with a overhand right followed by a left hook.

In the eleventh round, Arreola buckled Adamek with a right and staggered him another time with a huge left hook. Subsequently, Adamek displayed a ton of heart and great resilience, nailing Arreola flush with a barrage of rights and lefts. Surprisingly, Adamek peppered Arreola with ferocious head shots in the last thirty seconds.

Arreola, 29, shouted obscenities at Adamek in the twelfth round, confirming his irritation of being unable to hurt and outsmart the durable warrior from Poland. Adamek did a magnificent job of sticking and moving in the final minutes, landing a series of left hooks before Arreola could get his punches off.

What's next for Tomasz Adamek? Will he battle David Haye? Or one of the Klitschko brothers? Maybe, Adamek will square off with Bernard Hopkins, who wants to face a heavyweight? It remains to be seen who his next opponent will be, although it has become quite clear that Tomasz Adamek has established himself as a major player in the heavyweight division.

Angulo, 27, hurt Julio with an overhand right in the early moments of the first round, which seemed to set the tone for the rest of the fight. After that, Julio, 25, was stunned by a right - left hook combination and started to move at a rapid pace around the ring.

In the second round, Angulo attacked Julio fiercely, landing a right - left hook combination. Then, Julio caught Angulo with a sharp counter left hook. Yet, Julio had a great deal of difficulty changing from offense to defense, and exerted an awful lot of energy using lateral movement.

Julio, however, settled down in round three, scoring with an overhand right behind his jab. Angulo pressed forward and successfully landed a right to the body, although Julio consistently tagged Angulo with flush left hooks to the head.

Angulo landed the cleaner shots in round four, but suffered massive swelling under his right eye in round five from the left hooks Julio was repeatedly landing.

In round six, Julio continued to land counter left hooks, while slipping Angulo's punches.

By the seventh round, Angulo started to suffer swelling under his left cheek, but managed to connect with a sweeping left hook as he closed the distance. As a result, Julio retreated using swift lateral movement.

After applying a tremendous amount of pressure in the eighth round, Angulo landed multiple right hands in succession. Julio was momentarily dazed and suffered a cut over his right eye.

Julio still expended a lot of energy using lateral movement, however, he carefully and effectively placed his punches. Nevertheless, Angulo employed heavy pressure in the final moments of round ten.

Angulo started the eleventh round by firing and landing consecutive right hand shots. Then, Julio threw a left jab, but Angulo launched a crushing, well-timed right hand that floored Julio instantly. Julio got up, but referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight.

With the victory over Julio, Angulo may face the winner of Paul Williams versus Kermit Cintron, which takes place May 8th. Previously, Cintron handed Angulo his only professional loss, which was a twelve round unanimous decision.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

After suffering a one-sided defeat to Andre Ward in his last bout, Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KO's) responded superbly, winning a 12 round unanimous decision against Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KO's) in Group Stage 2 of Showtime's "Super Six" Tournament. The official scores were 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112.

Kessler, 31, and Froch, 32, battled fiercely the entire bout. In the opening round, Kessler pressed the action and scored with a right to the body. Kessler utilized his left jab, while using various angles when charging Froch. In contrast, Froch consistently fired his left jab to keep Kessler from pressuring him.

In round two, Kessler backed Froch into the corner, but Froch jabbed his way out. Then, Kessler connected with a left hook to the body. Few punches landed cleanly in the round, although the majority of them came from Kessler.

In the beginning of the third round, Froch stood his ground and jabbed effectively, but Kessler was very active, throwing and landing hard rights to the body. Later in the round, Froch connected with an overhand right to Kessler's head.

Both fighters increased their punch output in the fourth round. Froch hammered Kessler with a clean overhand right. After that, Froch successfully struck him with a lunging right uppercut.

Froch backed Kessler into the corner when he connected with a solid left hook in round five. Yet, Kessler kept charging forward, but he abandoned his use of angles. As a result, Froch rocked Kessler with powerful overhand right. Kessler answered moments later by connecting with his right hand, however, Froch landed the most effective punches in the round.

Kessler continued attacking in round six, scoring with rights and left hooks. It was a close, competitive round as both men went toe-to-toe. Again, Froch scored with overhand rights to Kessler's head.

Toward the end of round seven, Kessler landed a couple stinging left hooks followed by an overhand right to Froch's head.

Froch repeatedly used his left jab in the eighth round, but Kessler was busier and landed a damaging right hand blow to Froch's nose, which momentarily buckled the WBC champion. From there, Kessler threw a barrage of punches as he trapped Froch in the corner.

In the ninth round, Kessler maintained a steady body assault, connecting again with a right to the body. Froch's punches were a bit wild and seemed to have lost some steam, while Kessler increased his pace.

Kessler sustained an enormous cut above his left eye in the tenth round, which bled rapidly. Froch settled down and exchanged with Kessler at a furious pace. Next, Froch landed a massive left hook to Kessler's head. Still, Kessler came on strong in the final seconds, landing a potent straight right.

In the eleventh round, Froch hurt Kessler with a counter right. Soon after, Kessler stunned Froch with an overhand right.

Both Kessler and Froch showcased their entire offensive skill set in the twelfth and final round. Neither man could have fought with greater intensity, as a bloodied Kessler dazed Froch with huge left hooks. Then, Froch bewildered Kessler with a series of straight rights and left hooks that landed precisely on Kessler's chin. Nevertheless, Kessler displayed much more energy than Froch in the final minute, and unleashed a torrent of punches while Froch lay on the ropes.

In Group Stage 3, Mikkel Kessler will square off against Allan Green, who replaced Jermain Taylor, while Carl Froch will battle Arthur Abraham. Also, Andre Ward takes on Andre Dirrell.

Each fighter will have the opportunity to compete against one another in a series of scheduled twelve round bouts during the first three “Group Stages” of the tournament. There is also a point system in place:

A win is 2 points (with a 1-point bonus for a KO/TKO).

A draw is 1 point for each fighter. A loss equals 0 points.

The four highest point scorers will move on to the semifinal rounds, while the two fighters with the least point totals will be eliminated. The winners of the semifinal bouts will meet in the final round of the championship series in early 2011.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Before Mikkel Kessler battles Carl Froch in the 2nd round of Showtime’s “Super Six” Tournament, some important questions must be taken into consideration. Can Kessler recover psychologically following the beating he absorbed from Andre Ward in his last bout? Mikkel Kessler is a first-rate fighter, but after suffering losses to Joe Calzaghe and Andre Ward, we now know Kessler has plenty of trouble with boxers. However, there is good news for Kessler. Carl Froch does not possess the footwork of Calzaghe, Ward or even Kessler himself. Froch presents a different type of challenge; He’s undefeated, confident and mentally tough. Overcoming a close defeat is no easy task for a fighter. It is even a more daunting mission to rise above a one-sided beating or knockout loss. How much does Kessler have left?

Kessler will be able to showcase his boxing ability more against Froch than he displayed against Ward and Calzaghe. In both of his defeats, Kessler was the aggressor. Ward possessed too much overall speed for him. Against Calzaghe, he had to deal with the slickness and feints of a great southpaw. Styles make fights. The match-up against Froch may best suit Kessler’s style to surmount his recent shortcomings.

Kessler must establish his jab early in the fight. Froch is slower than him, and Kessler could dictate the pace of the bout by using his edge in hand speed by firing combinations off the jab. At times, Froch can be flat footed. If Kessler is moving around the ring, Froch will have an extremely difficult time landing successfully. In his last bout, Froch had an abundance of trouble getting his punches off because of Andre Dirrell’s adept hand speed and proficient movement. Kessler does not have the hand speed of Dirrell, but his hand speed is vastly underrated. Kessler’s hand speed was not a factor in his fights with Ward or Calzaghe, because they never let him get set to punch. Froch will not use the ring to his advantage like Ward or Calzaghe.

Froch owns a concrete right hand and can take a pretty solid punch. Since Kessler lost badly to Ward, Froch may want to attack him swiftly at the very beginning of the fight. Then, Froch might gain a competitive edge if Kessler starts to doubt his overall abilities. Froch owns a decent left jab and might use it to set up his body attack. Against Dirrell, Froch got beat to the punch repeatedly, and may have gotten hit even more had Dirrell taken more of an initiative. Unlike Dirrell, Kessler will stand in front of Froch at certain moments in the fight, which could give Froch a significant advantage. Froch does not unleash lots of punches, but he does land a high percentage of his punch output.

Prediction: If Kessler is emotionally recharged after suffering the devastating loss to Ward, I believe Kessler can win a convincing 12 round unanimous decision. I think Kessler occupies and exhibits the superior overall skills, however, I expect Froch to land some crisp and powerful punches in the fight. On the other hand, Kessler should be able to effectively control the pace with an accurate left jab, superior hand speed and quick lateral movement. I do not think it will turn into a slugfest because I see Kessler fighting an intelligent fight.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez captured the WBC and WBO Middleweight Championship with a brilliant performance against Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik. Official scores were 115-111, 116-111 and 115-112 all in favor of Martinez. Martinez, 35, attended the post fight press conference, although Pavlik, 28, was taken to a nearby hospital due to the severe cuts he suffered in the bout. Unofficially, Martinez entered the ring at 167 lbs., while Pavlik entered at 178 lbs. Previously, both men weighed 159 1/2 lbs. at Friday's weigh-in.

"It's always very bad to lose a lot of weight," said Martinez.

The weight factor was not an issue tonight; The fighter that won displayed the superior skills.

Martinez started boxing at a fast pace in round one, striking Pavlik with a solid right jab. Pavlik sustained a cut above his left eye, and only landed one clean right hand in the round. Pavlik pressed the action in round two, but Martinez kept hitting him with flush left hands and was beating him to the punch consistently with an accurate right jab.

In round three, a bloody Pavlik started to close the gap by repeatedly connecting with straight right hands. Martinez would come back strong in the fourth round, however, stunning Pavlik with consecutive lefts after wobbling him with a big right hook. Pavlik took over the fifth round by being first with his shots, and continued to score with right hands in the sixth round.

Pavlik put Martinez down with a swift right hand shot in round seven. Yet, Martinez recovered quickly and started countering Pavlik's punches with his right jab. Toward the end of the round, Pavlik nailed Martinez with a thunderous right. In the eighth round, Pavlik caught Martinez with a short right as Martinez was against the ropes. Next, Pavlik landed a right to Martinez's body followed by a right uppercut to his head. Pavlik was doing a superb job of keeping his left foot on the outside of Martinez's right foot, which enabled him to hit Martinez and limit getting caught by a counter punch.

From rounds nine through twelve, Martinez controlled the entire fight, beating Pavlik to a bloody pulp. Martinez peppered Pavlik continuously with straight lefts and stinging right hooks. Martinez was easily able to move in and out of range without Pavlik laying a glove on him. Throughout rounds ten - twelve, Martinez kept his pace up, assaulting Pavlik with unanswered right hooks and straight lefts. He struck Pavlik at various angles, which kept Pavlik from effectively countering. After the bout, Martinez had a great deal of swelling under his right eye, but it was nothing compared to the damage he inflicted on Pavlik.

"I didn't think this was a bad Kelly Pavlik. I think he beat a really good Kelly Pavlik," said Lou Dibella at the post fight press conference. "I think if he moved up to 168 lbs., he could dominate."

There is a rematch clause in the contract.

"If they want it, they'll have it," stated Dibella when asked about an immediate rematch.

"We just stopped punching from rounds nine through twelve," stated Pavlik's trainer, Jack Leow. "It's not the end of the world. We lost a fight."

"After the ninth round, we needed to push to win the fight," stated Martinez. "To be champion, you need to push the last three or four rounds. I fought with the king of the middleweights and won."

Not only was the win over Pavlik a great victory for Martinez, but for the people in his native Argentina as well.

"Being in boxing and being a boxer gives you a chance to dream about a day like today," said Martinez. "This is the dream of every boxer. And today, I accomplished my dream."

Both men started firing fast jabs and used a lot of feints to begin the fight. Bryan landed a flush, double left jab-right hand combination, although Arroyo was not seriously hurt.

In round two, Arroyo, 22, had trouble getting his punches off before Bryan. Bryan was busy and accurate, scoring with four punch combinations.

Bryan, 24, opened the third round by connecting with a left-right-left uppercut combination. Arroyo responded with a right, but Bryan fired a counter left hook. As Arroyo’s back was against the ropes, Bryan landed a left hook to the body and a crisp right hand to the head. Arroyo’s minimal punch output enabled Bryan to fight at a quicker pace and land more shots.

In the fourth round, Bryan caught Arroyo with a vicious right uppercut as Arroyo rushed toward him. Next, Arroyo landed a left hook, but Bryan unleashed a right-left hook combination. Then, Bryan missed a left hook, although he hammered Arroyo with an ensuing flush right.

Bryan easily controlled the tempo of the first four rounds, however, Arroyo started to take over in the fifth round. After Bryan connected with an overhand right as Arroyo lay on the ropes, Arroyo landed a massive left hook to Bryan’s head. Arroyo went after a stunned Bryan, landing a powerful left hook to his body. Yet, Bryan recovered and started to utilize his left jab. After that, Bryan scored with a right to the body, but Arroyo struck him with a left uppercut-overhand right combination.

The sixth round was very spirited as both men battled fiercely. Arroyo pressed the action, connecting with a clean right hand and followed it with a left hook. Next, Bryan nailed Arroyo with an overhand right, but was hit low by Arroyo after the exchange. Then, Bryan aggressively attacked Arroyo and landed a flush overhand right.

Bryan successfully landed a counter left hook, but was hit low again in the seventh round. After that, Bryan knocked out Arroyo’s mouthpiece with a devastating left hook. Following that heated exchange, Bryan momentarily wobbled Arroyo with right-left hook combination.

In the eighth round, a big right hand by Arroyo impaired Bryan. Arroyo went after him, and connected with a left hook followed by a flurry of punches. Bryan was badly hurt and against the ropes when Arroyo opened up an arsenal of damaging left uppercuts, left hooks and a hard right hand. Then, Bryan slipped to the canvas and was counted out.

From press row, it appeared Bryan was pinned against the bottom rope when Arroyo delivered the final blows. If Bryan’s right knee was down when Arroyo landed his punches, which Bryan’s corner adamantly claimed, the fight would have been declared a disqualification. However, there was no ruling by referee Samuel Viruet that Bryan’s knee was down at the time Arroyo threw and landed his punches. Therefore, Arroyo won by knockout in round eight at 1:43.

Jones, 26, scored with tremendous accuracy throughout the entire bout. In the beginning of the first round,

Jones landed a series of rights to the body and head of Munoz. Then, Jones sent Munoz into the ropes after connecting with a sharp left hook.

In round two, Jones frequently connected with sharp punches and snapped Munoz’s head back with a vicious right uppercut. Munoz, 31, was unable to compete with the hand speed of Jones. As a result, Jones repeatedly landed blistering punches.

Munoz was stunned by an overhand right in round three. After that, Jones sent blood flying out of Munoz’s mouth when he rocked him with a right uppercut in the fourth round.

Munoz, who was already hurt by a jab-right-double left hook combination from Jones, absorbed an overhand right that sent him staggering into the ropes in round five.

Finally, referee Benjy Esteves Jr. stopped the bout when Jones landed another overhand right. The official time of the stoppage was 2:03.

After this amazing performance, Jones appears ready to battle the elite in the welterweight division.

Guinn Makes Nelson Quit

In heavyweight action, Dominick Guinn (33-6-1, 21 KO’s) forced Terrell Nelson (8-10, 5 KO’s) to quit after seven rounds. At times, Guinn looked lackluster, but hurt Nelson with several left hooks and right hands to the head.

Hazimihalis Destroys Ellis

Junior welterweight Chris Hazimihalis (2-0, 2 KO’s) stopped Ramon Ellis (0-5, 0 KO’s) at 1:28 of round one. Hazimihalis landed a counter right to the temple of Ellis. Then, he unleashed a barrage of punches as Ellis was trapped in the corner.

Hearns KO's Raines

In a junior middleweight bout, Ronald Hearns (24-1, 9 KO’s) kayoed Delray Raines (17-8-1, 12 KO’s) at 1:47 of the first round. First, Hearns connected with a counter right that floored Raines. Raines got up, but his legs were shaky. Then, Hearns put Raines down on the canvas for several minutes after landing a ferocious right hand.

Tapia Decisions Winchester

Glenn Tapia (6-0, 4 KO’s) defeated James Winchester (10-4, 3 KO’s) by a four round unanimous decision in a junior middleweight bout. Tapia frequently connected with overhand rights, and put Winchester down with a rock-solid left hook to the head in round two. Official scores were 40-35 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Korobov, a 27-year-old southpaw, used many angles and beat Snyder, 30, to the punch with straight lefts and right hooks in the opening round. In round two, Korobov sent Snyder stumbling into the ropes after landing three consecutive straight lefts. Then, Korobov hurt Snyder with a right hook to the head.

Korobov continued his assault on Snyder in the third round, landing a counter straight left and followed up with a left-right to the body. However, Snyder came on strong in the fourth round, nailing Korobov with a right to the head. Then, Snyder scored with a left hook to the body. Korobov countered with consecutive right hooks, and landed a vicious left to the body. Snyder fought admirably in close range and landed a solid right uppercut, but Korobov immediately responded with a counter right hook to the body. Snyder really stepped up his punch output in the round.

Korobov seemed very fatigued in round five. Snyder pressed the action and attacked Korobov’s body and head. In round six, Korobov attacked Snyder’s body with a series of lefts and rights.

Round seven was highly competitive as Snyder forced the action by throwing a barrage of body and head shots. Korobov was not as busy, although he repeatedly placed his punches with extreme accuracy.

Korobov, who is a heavier puncher than Snyder, ripped a right to the body and followed it with a right uppercut-straight left combination. Then, Korobov landed a hard straight left. Yet, Snyder kept punching and coming forward. Korobov looked a bit tired, but finished convincingly. Snyder proved to be an incredibly formidable opponent.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

On Saturday April 17th, Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik (36-1, 32 KO's) will defend his WBC and WBO middleweight titles against Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KO's) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The fight will be televised LIVE on HBO at 10pm EST following the second episode of 24/7 - Mayweather vs. Mosley.

At Gallagher's Steakhouse in Manhattan this afternoon, Top Rank C.E.O., Bob Arum, addressed the media.

"It's been a great, great division," declared Arum. "Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall the tradition continues."

This will be Pavlik's 4th appearance at Boardwalk Hall, where he previously captured the WBC and WBO middleweight titles from Jermain Taylor in 2007. Martinez's last fight occurred at Boardwalk Hall, in which, he lost a highly controversial 12 round majority decision to Paul Williams.

HBO's Sports President Ross Greenburg stated, "There are certain fights you buy that are can't miss fights. This is one of them."

"Ross Greenburg really made the fight happen," acknowledged Lou Dibella, C.E.O. Dibella Entertainment. "Kelly took the hardest guy who wanted him. It will be a battle of techniques; speed and agility versus punching power and aggressiveness. There will be a new champion on Saturday night."

Martinez appears eager to display his skills on Saturday night.

"You will see a great fight," said Martinez. "All this year I have been training for this fight."

"Kelly is in the best shape ever," said Loew. "Monzon won't be there, Martinez will. I'm glad he knows how to ride a bike because he will be on one Saturday night. We respect him, but we'll go back to Youngstown with the belts."

Bob Arum believes Pavlik, 28, is one of the hardest punchers he's seen in years. Pavlik is definitely one of the heaviest hitters in the entire history of the middleweight division, and holds an 86% knockout percentage over his opponents. As a result of Pavlik's knockout power, many observers overlook his complete boxing arsenal. Pavlik's jab is one of the best in the business, and he drives the opposition backward regularly when he utilizes it. Since suffering his only professional defeat to Bernard Hopkins, Pavlik has been widely ridiculed for his lack of lateral movement. In that bout, Hopkins repeatedly beat Pavlik to the punch and used an incredible amount of angles to keep him off-balanced, which is the reason why numerous people are picking Martinez to win.

Martinez, 35, fights at a fast pace and possesses outstanding boxing technique. Will the southpaw from Argentina be able to nullify Pavlik's power? Martinez is an exceptional fighter from the outside and will exchange with anyone, although his power is underrated. Against a devastating puncher like Pavlik, Martinez may want to fight at a distance where he controls range and dictates the pace of the bout. Pavlik does not see the fight turning out that way.

"I see him starting fast in the early rounds and slowing a bit in the middle rounds," stated Pavlik. "I expect a dominating performance."

When he faced Hopkins, Pavlik weighed 168 lbs. As far as moving up in weight again, Pavlik does not anticipate that happening soon. "I will fight at 160 lbs. until I cannot make weight anymore," said Pavlik. "Right now, I don't have a problem."

For Martinez, this will be his first notable opponent at 160 lbs. If Martinez wins, it will probably be the result of him outworking Pavlik with a great deal of volume punching, as well as minimizing heated exchanges with a bigger, deadlier puncher. Can Pavlik catch the slick moving Martinez? Or will Martinez find his range like Hopkins and beat Pavlik to the punch all fight?

With so many questions, there are so many answers. Yet, this epic fight should produce a definitive conclusion.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Andre Berto remained unbeaten (26-0, 20 KO's) and retained his WBC title, scoring an impressive 8th round TKO over Carlos Quintana (27-3, 21 KO's) in a welterweight showdown. Berto, 26, had trouble with Quintana, a 33-year-old slick southpaw, early in the fight, but managed to use his youth and strength to take over the later rounds.

Quintana appeared to drop Berto in the first round with a short left that landed on Berto's right ear. However, Berto immediately complained to referee Tommy Kimmons that the punch landed behind his head, and it was not ruled a knockdown. Quintana used a lot of angles, and both men tried to get their punches off first.

In round two, Quintana connected with straight lefts, while Berto unleashed lightning-fast shots. Yet, Berto had a great deal of trouble putting his punches together. Quintana struck Berto with his right jab and straight lefts in the third round, although he was deducted a point for hitting Berto behind the head with a left hand. Then, Berto briefly hurt Quintana with a short left hook, and opened up with a series of punches while Quintana's back was against the ropes.

Berto started to close the gap in round four when he connected with a straight right to Quintana's head. Quintana continued to land right hooks and straight lefts in close quarters. Berto was applying steady pressure and throwing explosive punches. Quintana snapped Berto's head back in the fifth round after landing a sharp left uppercut. Still, Berto absorbed the punch and fired a straight right - left hook combination. After Quintana hit Berto with a right hook to the head, Berto hurt Quintana with a right hand. Next, Berto threw a series of rights and lefts.

The holding and hitting carried into the sixth round, however, Quintana was able to land his left uppercut in close range. Again, Berto responded with a right hand - left hook combination. Quintana landed a right hook to Berto's body in round seven after being tied up. Then, Quintana connected with some short punches. Berto was still charging forward, but was throwing his punches one at a time.

In the middle of the eighth round, Berto hurt Quintana with an overhand right to the head. With Quintana's back to the ropes, Berto landed a left hook - right hand combination. Then, Berto let his hands go quickly, scoring with many rights and lefts as Quintana was trapped in the corner. After that, Berto hammered Quintana with a flush right hand that landed on the bridge of Quintana's nose. Quintana tied Berto up, but Berto landed another forceful right, which pushed Quintana's head back and prompted referee Tommy Kimmons to stop the bout at 2:16.

Andre Berto still exhibits technical flaws in his game that need to be corrected, if he is to be considered among the elite welterweights in the sport. Berto's stance is too wide, which gives opponents the opportunity to land swift, short shots and move out of range quickly. He does not put his punches together unless he has an opponent hurt. Most of the time, Berto looks one dimensional and does not fight well in close range, as was the case tonight with Quintana repeatedly hitting him with his left hand in the clinches. Berto must learn to change from offense to defense better.

On the other hand, Berto is a powerful puncher and possesses a devastating right hand. He is also very strong at 147 lbs., where he holds an edge in hand speed over most opponents. Berto's overall foot speed and agility troubles the majority of his rivals. Tonight, Berto also displayed relentless pressure and the capability to take an opponent out when he hurts them. If Berto can put all his tools together, he could be a very difficult future opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao or "Sugar" Shane Mosley.

CABALLERO PUNISHES YORDAN

Celestino "Pelechin" Caballero (34-2, 23 KO's) won his 15th straight bout and first at featherweight, scoring a one-sided, twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Daud Cino Yordan (25-1, 19 KO's). The official ringside judges scored the bout 119-108, 118-108 and 120-107. Caballero, 33, battered and pummeled Yordan, 22, every round with sharp, accurate combinations and loads of volume punching. At the end of the fight, Yordan had immense swelling over both eyes. With the victory, Caballero hopes to gain a fight with Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa or Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez at 126 lbs.

In round one, Yordan fought aggressively, while Caballero tried to find his range with the jab. When he did, Caballero landed some brutal right hands to Yordan's body. In the second round, Caballero ripped a right to Yordan's body and followed it with a right uppercut behind his jab. Then, Yordan countered with a solid left hook, but Caballero fired a right uppercut without delay. Caballero continued to throw and land rights to Yordan's body. Toward the end of the round, Yordan missed with an overhand right and Caballero answered with a hard right uppercut that floored him.

Caballero's work rate was steady and unrelenting as he entered round three. Caballero landed a sharp overhand right, and kept hitting Yordan in the body with a series of rights and lefts. Caballero's punch output was too great for Yordan to land his shots in succession. Throughout the fight, however, Yordan was doing well landing left hooks to Caballero's head.

In rounds four through six, Caballero continued to overwhelm Yordan with his large punch output. Yordan kept getting hammered in the body by right hands. At times, Yordan connected with some left hooks, but was getting peppered with clean punches frequently. Caballero did an excellent job of mixing up his punches and unleashing them from a variety of angles, keeping Yordan incredibly off-balanced.

In the seventh round, Caballero repeatedly scored first with his punches. Yordan's punch output dropped after getting hit by a right hand to the head. Yordan struggled to time him because of the vast amount of punches Caballero was throwing. Caballero was remorseless in rounds eight and nine, battering Yordan with fierce, sharp punches. Other than landing an occasional left hook, Yordan was sustaining a beating.

By round ten, Caballero had inflicted a tremendous amount of damage to Yordan. If Yordan's corner decided to stop the fight, they would not have been criticized. Yordan was too tough and kept pressing forward throwing punches.

In the twelfth round, Caballero was momentarily stunned by a left hook from Yordan. Then, Yordan followed up with another left hook and Caballero went back into the ropes. However, Caballero stayed relaxed and quickly recovered, regaining his momentum by firing blistering shots to Yordan's head.

After moving up to featherweight from junior featherweight, it seems Caballero would be a handful for any future opponent. A bout with Yuriorkis Gamboa (18-0, 15 KO's) would be intriguing because Gamboa possesses exceptional hand speed and good left hook, a punch Yordan was successful with tonight. On the contrary, a fight with Juan Manuel Lopez (28-0, 25 KO's), who is a slick southpaw, may give Caballero some problems. Lopez displays outstanding movement and uses very good angles. It appears Caballero's volume punching would give Lopez more of a problem than Gamboa, because Gamboa is a very dangerous offensive fighter. However, Lopez is awfully precise placing his punches, and Caballero will not have the same ease with him as he did with Yordan. If Lopez fights too defensive in a showdown with Caballero, he may be engulfed by the enormous quantity of punches Caballero throws. In a match-up with either Gamboa or Lopez, Caballero will have a distinct height and reach advantage.

Friday, April 9, 2010

A native of Scotland, artist Julie Snyder studied drawing and painting at the Glasgow School of Art. The setting itself was extraordinary and inspiring. Architect Charles Rennie Macintosh designed the Art School in 1897, combining his unique style of Scottish tradition with Art Nouveau. Julie Snyder was encouraged to pursue her art by an artist-mother and a writer-father.

"Before The Bell"

Oil on Board

16" x 20 "

Julie's artistic career has spanned both sides of the Atlantic and included several years of residence in Southern Spain. Julie Snyder forged her craft as an illustrator in advertising, publishing and the motion picture industry, including Warner Bros.

She now lives in Southern California, where she paints, holds workshops and teaches painting at the Businessmen's Art Institute in Montrose. Julie Snyder is a sought-after artist in the Southern California figurative art scene. "I paint the figure, finding my subjects in many walks of life and I bring them into the studio to model. I love to recreate an impressionistic environment on the canvas that tells a story.”

"Hanging It Up"Oil on Canvas
12" x 12 "

She paints to tell the stories of everyday people in their environment. Painting wet on wet with a balance of loose and tight brush work, she uses color and light to create interest and focus. Her paint quality is expressionistic as she captures the essential mood and gestures of her subjects. Julie Snyder also has a growing number of clients who commission her to paint portraits. Her intimate portraits are more than the traditional "head and shoulders" as she unerringly finds the special quality that makes each individual both unique and multifaceted.

“This has been a tough camp. It’s been 8 solid weeks of training. I can’t compare it to any of my other training camps; that ‘so called training’ wasn’t anywhere near as tough. It’s also the longest I've been separated from my wife, but in spite of that I am happy and relaxed.”

Julio also has more confidence because he has added new members to his team.

“I have a new manager, Bob Perdiment. I have a great conditioning coach, which I never had before. You are going to see a noticeable difference in my body. I feel strong.” He added, “I have a chiropractor working with me everyday. He stretches me, he re-aligns my back and he makes sure I stay loose. It’s really made a difference in how I feel at the beginning and end of each day.”

“Each day I do three sessions of technical aspects of boxing with my trainer Anthony Hamm. I also do three sessions of conditioning and physical training with conditioning coach, Jeremy (Fedoruk). From day-to-day, we alternate the type of conditioning we do, one time swimming and the next running.”

Julio is not by any means underestimating Angulo's abilities.

“We know that he’s a strong fighter. He comes forward, so we are working on a lot of different things," Julio stated. "We’re working on counter punching; we’re working on speed and movement. We will keep him out of his comfort zone.

“We are not going to fool each other. We are both able to knock people out. We both have power in our punches. But if you look at my record, you’ll see that I have 31 knockouts and it’s not by coincidence! At anytime in the 12 rounds either one of us can go, I just don’t think it’s going to be me!

“I hope that Angulo has trained really, really, really hard. Because if he hasn’t things are not going to go too well for him. I am ready and I know for a fact that I am going to bring that belt home.”

All three of Julio's losses came against southpaws (James Kirkland TKO 6, Sergiy Dzinziruk UD 12 and Carlos Quintana UD 12), who were undefeated at the time Julio faced them. This time, Julio’s camp feels his superior experience and new training regimen will propel him to a win in Angulo’s home state.

This fight is co-promoted by Main Events, All Star Boxing, Inc. and Goossen Tutor Promotions. The 10 round bout will be Joel Julio’s third appearance on HBO. The fight will be held at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. It will be televised on HBO’s Boxing After Dark as the co-feature to “Ring Of Fire", an NABO and IBF International Heavyweight Championship fight between Tomasz Adamek and Chris Arreola on April 24th, 11:15pm ET/PT.

John Edward Bonaventure Federowicz, better known as John Ed Bon Fed, always the freelance illustrator has journeyed (and journaled) from the nail-biting world of advertising to the hair-pulling extremes of educating.

Bon Fed’s art is rooted in the desire to communicate and share.

From caricaturing, to capturing lifetimes, to watercolors capturing the American spirit, to whimsical art where tears capture paint, he now invites you into his proverbial sketchbook - "Where the World is Drawn Together."

Sunday, April 4, 2010

After 17 years, Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO's) avenged a decision loss to Roy Jones Jr. (54-7, 40 KO's) by capturing a 12 round unanimous decision victory in a rough and rugged battle. The official scores were 118-109 and 117-110 twice. Hopkins, 45, looked the fresher of the two, however, Jones, 41, still possessed quicker reflexes. Unlike their first encounter, Hopkins was aggressive and did not let Jones get his punches off first. This time, Hopkins used his trademark hitting and clinching style successfully.

In the first round, Hopkins was more forceful than usual and used a lot of feints to bait Jones. Toward the end of the round, Jones connected with his signature lead right hand. Hopkins continued to pressure Jones in round two, sending him into the ropes after connecting with a left hook - right hand combination. Throughout his career, Jones has had a great deal of trouble fighting off the ropes and Hopkins wanted the action to occur there. Then, Jones missed with a left and Hopkins landed a counter right. Hopkins utilized his jab to push Jones back, and they battled furiously in the corner after Hopkins landed a left hook to Jones' head. Jones sustained a cut on the side of his left eye.

Hopkins connected with an overhand right and feverishly assaulted Jones' body in the third round. During clinches, Jones managed to repeatedly land short right uppercuts. Jones hit Hopkins at the end of the round with a straight right. Still, Hopkins continued to rip a series of rights and lefts to Jones' body in the fourth round. Again, Jones connected with short shots when both fighters clinched.

In the fifth round, Jones struck Hopkins with a right uppercut that sent him back to the ropes. Yet, Hopkins countered with a left hook to the body that appeared to land below Jones' belt-line. Jones kept throwing right uppercuts in the clinches, while Hopkins repeatedly fired and landed shots to Jones' body.

Jones was deducted one point in the sixth round from referee Tony Weeks for striking Hopkins with a left hook behind the head, while Hopkins was in the corner. The punch did not appear to be devastating, but Hopkins did not take it well. As soon as an enraged Hopkins took the time awarded to briefly recover, he went after Jones violently. Both men exchanged heated punches near the end the round. As Weeks tried to separate them at the bell, Hopkins kept firing vicious shots at Jones.

Jones fouled Hopkins for a second time in round eight when he hit him with an overhand right behind the head. Jones' punch was in retaliation for a rabbit punch that Hopkins landed. Once again, Hopkins went down and needed a minute to recuperate. When the action resumed, Hopkins stepped up the pace and landed a strong right to the body followed by a hard overhand right. Jones found himself fighting off the ropes, a place where Hopkins was landing his most damaging blows.

Jones opened round nine by throwing and connecting with lead right hands. Hopkins worked diligently to force Jones back against the ropes. When Jones landed, Hopkins instantly fired in return.

Once more, Jones fouled Hopkins in the tenth round. However, this time Jones hit Hopkins with a left hook that was very low. After receiving time to heal, Hopkins reclaimed his momentum, scoring in the clinches with brutal body punches.

Hopkins charged forward in round eleven, connecting with another right to Jones body. Then, Jones was fouled by an accidental clash of heads. Jones sustained an additional cut from the headbutt just under his left eye brow. The ringside doctor ruled Jones could keep fighting. With the action heating up once again, Hopkins landed several hurtful body punches and followed them with an overhand right. Following a left jab - overhand right from Hopkins, Jones found himself on the ropes as the bell rang to end the round.

Hopkins kept on throwing and landing body shots in round twelve. Jones sent Hopkins into the ropes with sharp right. Both men ended the fight by throwing flurries at the bell.

Clearly, Hopkins won the fight and acquired more than just a victory; He got Jones' respect. Following the loss to Jones in 1993, Hopkins stayed undefeated for the next twelve years before losing a split decision to Jermain Taylor that ended a record 20 successful defenses of the middleweight title. Hopkins has never been knocked out, and it can be argued that besides Jones defeating him in 1993, Hopkins has never lost convincingly. All of Hopkins' losses have been razor thin defeats. He lost by split decision twice; once to Jermain Taylor and once to Joe Calazaghe. The other decision loss Hopkins suffered was a unanimous decision to Taylor in their second fight by scores of 115-113 from all three judges. The loss to Jones was a close fight as well with Hopkins losing by scores of 116-112 on all scorecards. The only other defeat on Hopkins' record came in his first professional bout, a four round majority loss to Clinton Mitchell by scores of 39-38, 39-37 and 38-38.

Where do Hopkins and Jones go from here? For Hopkins, he has called out David Haye and wants to challenge for Haye's WBA heavyweight title, which he retained against John Ruiz (TKO 9) earlier today. As for Jones, he may look to retire after a great career. Then again, it may be extremely difficult for Jones to call it quits and retire after a defeat. Nevertheless, it may be the best thing for Jones to hang up his gloves because his record is 5-6 in his last eleven fights.

LITZAU DEFEATS JUAREZ

Jason Litzau (21-2, 21 KO's) defeated a tough Rocky Juarez (28-6-1, 20 KO's) by a seventh round technical decision. The bout went to the scorecards after ringside physicians stopped the contest because of a deep cut on Litzau's left cheek. The official scores were 68-65 and 67-66 twice.

In the first round, referee Jay Nady warned Juarez for hitting low. Then, Litzau picked up the pace in round two, doubling his left jab and landing rights behind it. Litzau's punches were effective and scoring, while Juarez was reluctant to throw throughout the first three rounds.

In round four, Litzau continued to fight his most disciplined fight to date by controlling range and not getting reckless with his punches. Juarez stepped up his work-rate in the fifth round, but Litzau kept outworking him.

Both men landed clean shots in the sixth round, as Litzau ripped left hooks to Juarez's head and snapped his head back with a left uppercut. Juarez countered by hammering Litzau with overhand rights.

In round seven, Litzau sustained a cut on his left cheek, which referee Jay Nady ruled was the result of an accidental headbutt. However, the cut may have been caused by a punch. If the cut occurred from a punch by Juarez and the fight was stopped because of the cut, the ruling would have been a TKO victory for Juarez.

SILLAKH STOPS JUDAH

In light heavyweight action, Ismayl Sillakh (12-0, 11 KO's) stopped Daniel Judah (23-5-3, 10 KO's) in two rounds. Sillakh, 25, opened the first round by dishing out right hands and left hooks to Judah's head, and followed it with crisp, perfectly placed left hooks to the body. Toward the end of the round, Sillakh suffered a minor cut above his right eye resulting from an accidental clash of heads. In round two, Sillakh sent Judah down and into the ropes with a sharp left hook to the body. Then, Judah got back up, but Sillakh connected with a well-timed left hook to the body and dropped him with a left hook to the head, which prompted referee Vic Drakulich to stop the bout at :49 seconds of round two.

Ismayl Sillakh is a native of the Ukraine, but currently resides in Simi Valley, California, U.S.A. Sillakh possesses a stellar amateur record of 302-16, and is quickly climbing the light heavyweight rankings. On the other hand, Daniel Judah's career is now in a tailspin after losing 3 of his last 4 bouts.

GOMEZ WINS DEBUT

In a junior welterweight bout, East Los Angeles native Frankie "Pitbull" Gomez won his professional debut by stopping Clayvonne Howard (2-4, 1 KO) in the third round. The official time of stoppage was 2:45.
Gomez was aggressive throughout the entire bout, scoring mostly with thunderous body shots. In round three, Gomez landed a rock-solid left uppercut followed by a devastating overhand right, which impelled referee Joe Cortez to end the fight.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Larry Hazzard’s C.O.M.B.A.T.T. Award Ceremonies will be held on Tuesday, April 6th at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, N.J.

This years honorees are former multi-time World Champions Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard, the IBF International Heavyweight Champion and former Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek, New York State Athletic Commission Director of Boxing Ralph Petrillo, New York Daily News Manager of Community Affairs and New York Golden Glove Chairman, Brian Adams, former World Title Contender Michael Olajide, President of local 617 SEIU Labor Union, Rahman Muhammad, President International Long Shoremen”s Union, Gerald Owens, former Heavyweight Contender and now top referee, Randy Neumann and the Newark Housing Authority Executive Morris Warner.

For tickets call 908-930-3148, or at the IBF 516 Main St., East Orange, NJ, the Clubhouse 205 Spruce St. Newark, NJ, 973-297-1299, or call 609-658-6780. Tickets are priced at $100.00 and the Dinner starts at 5:30 pm.